A Simple Trick to Remove Sticky Gunk from Jars

There are so many uses for jars. I actually buy food and beverages for the jars that they come packaged in. Like, I'll buy a glass bottle of apple juice instead of a plastic bottle of apple juice just so that I can have the glass bottle. And wine bottles? Forget it! You can never have too many. Don't even get me started on Mason jars and good, old spaghetti sauce jars. I could buy olives in a can, but I buy them in a jar...you get the picture.

Jars are the best for food storage, and for DIY projects, but there is this one problem: How to remove the labels. Like a lot of adhesives, oil actually removes jar labels well. It's counter-intuitive to clean with oil, but really, it works!

To make homemade sticker gunk remover, mix one part vegetable oil (any inexpensive vegetable oil will do; no need to waste the good extra vigin olive oil on cleaning) and two parts baking soda. Dip a rag in the oil and baking soda mixture, and rub onto the sticker goo. Scrub a bit. It might take a couple applications, but Beverly claims that she used about as much elbow grease as when she uses Goo Gone, the favorite gunk remover of handymen and mechanics.